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Click here to view APA's interview with Director Kim di-Kuk. Click here to view a preview of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...Spring as Korea's Oscar considered film.
Kim Ki-duk's Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring is one of those films that transports you to another world--in this case, the breathtaking landscape of an isolated Buddhist monastery floating at the center of a quiet mountain lake. We are invited to follow the population of two, an older monk (Oh Young-soo) and his child protégé (Kim Jong-ho), though five seasons in the cycle of life as the younger monk gradually progresses from student to teacher, learning many painful but valuable lessons along the way.
In Spring, the young monk is a mischievous, endearing boy, who ties rocks to a fish, a frog, and a snake, taking wide-eyed delight in watching them squirm. That night, the older monk ties a large stone on the boy's back while he is sleeping and tells him to find the animals and release them. Here, the boy learns a severe lesson as he sees that his innocent playfulness does not free him from responsibility for his actions.
In Summer, the boy is a teen (Seo Jae-kyung), and he discovers the intensity of love when a young girl (Ha Yeo-jin) visits the monastery in order to heal. A sweet, awkward, seemingly unreciprocated courting is followed by an amusing liberation of sexual frustration, but his euphoric high is cut short when the older monk sends her away. "Lust," he warns, "awakens the desire to possess, which ends in the intent to murder."
By Fall, the young adult monk (Kim Young-min), now a fugitive from the law, has returned to the temple after a long absence, for following the girl back to the city has ended with disastrous results. The older monk helps him carve Pranjaparpamita sutras into the deck in order to cleanse his heart of all anger and jealousy. Through the Winter season and back to Spring, the adult monk (director Kim Ki-duk) returns yet again to the monastery to atone for his sins and prepare himself to start the cycle over anew.
The beauty of this film not only lies in its stunning cinematography, but in the story's ability to convey astonishing depth and impact through its stark simplicity. Relying on little dialogue, we are often concentrating on the smallest of actions, but the result is mesmerizing. Kim Ki-duk invites us to get lost and immerse ourselves in this exquisite backdrop surrounded by nature, where living in virtual seclusion allows for rewarding lessons in their purest forms.
The acting is understated and truthful, exposing raw pains and passions that are universal in humanity, allowing us to relate despite the uniqueness of the characters and setting. The monks remain nameless; they could be anyone. The humor is subtle but often sidesplitting, as the older monk uses bizarre, but effective means in order to get his point across.
Using Buddhist mysticism, the film explores the monk's search for peace and argues for the need for patience. Even in these peaceful surroundings that represent the epitome of tranquility and harmony, the human spirit is necessarily tested and thrown into disorder. Ultimately, the film shows us that the most gratifying part of the journey lies in the experience and the wisdom that is accumulated along the way.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...Spring is now playing…. For more information, check out www.sonyclassics.com/spring. |